Largo man, 44, dies in custody of deputies

A disabled veteran being driven home from a hospital where there was a disturbance dies after confronting officers.

By SHARON TUBBS

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 15, 2000

SAFETY HARBOR -- A 44-year-old Largo man, who had been disruptive at a hospital and later swung at a deputy trying to take him home, died Thursday night while in the custody of deputies driving him to jail, sheriff's officials said.

Gerry Wayne Meyers showed up at Mease Countryside Hospital's emergency room just after 6:30 p.m., complaining of a knee injury he had sustained in a fall. He was treated and given a pair of metal crutches, sheriff's spokesman Deputy Cal Dennie said.

But Meyers left against doctors' recommendations, said hospital spokeswoman Leigh Wallace. She would not give details of treatment Meyers received.

Meyers returned to the hospital about 10 p.m., but he did not request treatment, Wallace said.

"He was not seeking to receive medical care," she said. Instead, Wallace said, Meyers created a disturbance outside the hospital, and Mease officials called police.

A deputy arrived and agreed to take Meyers home, Dennie said. Meyers was not under arrest at that time, nor was he handcuffed, Dennie said.

Meyers gave the deputy an address on Eighth Avenue, Dennie said. The deputy drove along Eighth Avenue in Safety Harbor, which is a few miles from the hospital, but could not find the address.

That's when the situation turned hectic, Dennie said.

"(Meyers) began to be agitated and began hitting the window with his metal crutches," Dennie said. Meyers was in the back seat of the deputy's cruiser.

"Attempts to calm him down were futile," Dennie said.

The deputy pulled over and called for backup. A second deputy arrived and helped pull Meyers out of the cruiser. The man "took a swing" at the deputies, Dennie said. Deputies sprayed Meyers with pepper spray to subdue him. They placed Meyers under arrest for destruction of county property, handcuffed his hands behind his back and put him back in the rear seat, Dennie said.

The assisting deputy left, and the initial deputy headed for the Pinellas County Jail where Meyers was to be processed.

But Meyers became belligerent again, Dennie said. He was kicking the windows and spitting at the deputy through the partition separating the front seat from the back, authorities say.

The deputy pulled over a second time on Bayshore Boulevard at 10:47 p.m. and again called for assistance. Another deputy showed up. The deputies pulled Meyers from the cruiser to secure his feet somehow. They soon realized, though, that Meyers was having trouble breathing. At 10:54 p.m., paramedics were called, Dennie said.

Meyers' heart stopped beating at the scene, Dennie said. He was pronounced dead at Mease Hospital at 11:39 p.m.

Sherriff's officials are investigating the death, but would not release the names of thedeputies involved.

The deputies were not placed on leave and continued working Friday, Dennie said. An autopsy will be performed.

Meyers was a disabled veteran and, sheriff's officials said, he lived at 701 Eighth St. NW in Largo.

But few other details were available Friday.

According to county records, Meyers had a criminal record in Pinellas dating back to 1983, including arrests for burglary, aggravated battery and criminal mischief.

This is the second time this year a man has died following a confrontation with Pinellas sheriff's deputies. On Feb. 24, Cameron Woods, 29, of Clearwater was shot and killed after being stopped on a downtown Clearwater street by two deputies on a training exercise. Investigators said Woods, who was stopped because he looked suspicious, tried to grab the gun of one of the deputies and was shot during a struggle.

Deputies also have been involved in two other shootings this year in which men were wounded.

On March 28, a deputy fired at a man trying to hijack a car after running from the driver's license office in Countryside where he had tried to get a state identification using bogus papers. A Maryland prison escapee, he was in good condition a day after the shooting.

On May 22, a deputy shot a shoplifting suspect as he drove away from a Home Depot in Seminole, dragging his alleged accomplice and a witness hanging onto the car. The wounded man, a St. Petersburg resident, was treated and released from the hospital hours after the shooting.

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